High tech mobile chip companies like Qualcomm and Broadcom, mobile device manufacturers such as Apple, HTC, Nokia and Samsung, mobile network operators such as AT&T, Verizon and Orange, mobile app developers and publishers such as Trigger and thousands of others build, develop, create, invent, manufacture and/or publish products and processes in the field of electronic or telecommunications. Augmented reality (AR) software solutions such as Qualcomm's Vuforia™ brand software application and others such as Aurasma, image recognition (IR) solutions such as Qualcomm's Gimbal™ application, peer-to-peer communication solutions such as Google's NFC application and Qualcomm's AllJoyn™ brand application, mobile payment solutions such as Qualcomm's Pay™ brand application and Google's Wallet™ brand application, and context awareness solutions such as Qualcomm's Gimbal™ brand application also play a role in the field of electronic communications and mobile applications. Sensor fusion companies such as Virtual Eye, stadium and venue solutions such as provided and developed by Cisco also play a role in the field of electronic communications and mobile applications. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems hosted in the cloud are offered by companies such as Salesforce.com, Oracle and Parallel6. Research facilities such as PARC, MIT and Qualcomm continue to fund and conduct research and development in many of the facets and features of the field of electronic communications.
The present architecture, systems and processes do not depend on any specific chip, mobile device, technology, operator or user. They work regardless of what AR or IR technology, CRM or sensor fusion system is used.
The present architecture, systems and processes are based on combining currently existing technologies and blending them with traditional marketing and sales methodologies to form integrated solutions. They work with known technologies, and are adapted for and are adaptable expected new technologies, devices and use-cases as they become commercially available.
This is the first time a simple to manage solution has been created by combining complex and cutting edge technologies, combining it with real-time contextual data, including past historical data on user's behavior to present solutions, offers and assistance to the end user based on their current context and situation, past behavior and preferences and predictable next actions and desires.
This overview will present a summary of the state of the art of the various technologies described above.
The present description details numerous embodiments and exemplary, detailed use cases. There are numerous combinations and sub-combination for the presently described systems and processes.
Numerous patents exist in each of the sub categories described below. The presently describe systems and processes is not dependent upon any specific such patent. Typically providers of technologies such as Qualcomm's Vuforia SDK allows for patents to be filed based on their underlying technology.
Context Awareness
Contact awareness is a well-known discipline, and has significant, current R&D in progress. There is a lot of R&D in this space, at universities (MIT), research facilities (PARC, SRI, Freuenheuser) and commercial corporations (Qualcomm, Apple). Qualcomm has just released a beta version of a SDK called “Gimbal”, which is the closest to the invention. It features aspects of the invention, but does not include sensor fusion with other devices, input from other devices and does not include a commercial CRM back end that enables integration with historical demographic data as a stand-alone solution.
Context Intelligence
There is a lot of research in this space as well, but no known commercial solution available at this time. Same entities as above are the strong players in this space.
Mobile Marketing
Numerous companies are doing marketing to the mobile devices. Some use location based services, others include social media status and integrations, and others use a CRM back-end. No one have a complete solution that enables a brand to gather real time context information, combine it with historical data and automatically deliver messages to the mobile device based on these.
AR
Numerous companies have technologies in this space, ranging from Layar which started using GPS for AR, to Nokia's new solution for Windows 7 phones, to Sony, Blippar, Aurasma, Dekko and numerous others that have their own technology solution. The biggest player in the space is Qualcomm with its Vuforia SDK. No one use AR to discover and verify context, and no one has yet to include a marketing back-end CRM system and enable brands to have their own solution. The invention can use any of the AR technologies mentioned.
IR
Image recognition is an aspect of AR, and many of the AR technologies use their own algorithms to create the AR experiences. Qualcomm's Gimbal SDK offers a free IR component. It does not include sensor input from devices in proximity, or a marketing CRM back-end database.
Location Based Services
Many companies are offering Location Based Services (Placecast, Place-IQ and many others) that feature aspects of the invention. None has integrated Context and sensor input.
Coupon Delivery
Groupon and numerous others have various solutions for delivery of coupons and offers. None have a complete solution like the invention yet.
CRM
Salesforce.com, Oracle, Parallel6 and numerous others have cloud based CRM systems. The invention is the first to include complex re-time contextual information and combining it with historical and demographical data.
Push Technology
There are numerous solutions that enable messages to be pushed to a mobile device—some are fairly sophisticated.
Mobile Payment Solutions
Google Wallet, Qualcomm's Pay and numerous others are working on various solutions for mobile payments. None have full integrated with a cloud based CRM solution like the invention.
Mobile Devices
The invention is not dependent upon any specific mobile device, and anticipates that the form factors of mobile devices will change radically with new system and devices developed.
Peer-To-Peer Communication
Numerous companies are working on standards and new means for peer-to-peer communications, with Qualcomm's open source and free SDK “AllJoyn” being the most diversified cross platform, cross standards and cross device solution.
Stadium/Venue Solutions
Cisco, Virtual Eye and Sporting Innovation have a series of solutions for venue enhancements. None include the total solution for the venue and sport team owners as the invention does.
Sensor Fusion
Numerous companies spend a lot of money and resources on R&D for sensor fusion, with many starting to present and sell SDK solutions. These include Kinect, Qualcomm, Nokia and many others.
Ball and Player Tracking
Virtual Eye and Hawkeye have solutions that can track and verify ball trajectories in sports such as soccer, baseball, tennis and golf. None are using this information to drive AR experiences as the invention covers.
There is therefore a need to provide a method that allows establishing a user's context, create a definition of context and contextual awareness, communicate this to a database of known past behavior, combine these and then deliver content from the cloud directly to the user's connected device(s) to enable delivery of content that is relevant, appropriate and helpful for the end user, and present this at the right time and location, thus creating contextual wisdom creating a contextually intelligent communication solution